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Look Elsewhere For a Positive Approach to Motherhood
There is absolutely nothing new here. It has been said over and over again by women who refuse to accept that sacrifice in motherhood is an inevitability. The desire to outsource one's parenting responsibilities is a desire felt by all mothers at some point in time. What keeps the majority of mothers from doing so, however, is the fact that they WANT to be the primary person in their children's lives -- and they know that their presence is irreplacable.
Warner is getting the unbelievable amount of media attention for only one reason: media bias. The media is comprised solely of either single women or working mothers who benefit enormously from hearing what they want to hear: that all women should be free to work outside the home and use nannies and day care -- and if they feel anxiety about it, well, that's society's fault, not theirs. This is Warner's message. Unfortunately for Warner, her argument will not resonate with most mothers (or fathers), who are unwilling to have the government involved in childrearing. According to Public Agenda, the most reputable, nonpartisan polling agency in NYC, 74% of Americans believe one parent should be at home with the kids while the other is in the workforce; and 76% believe children spend too much time in day care or with nannies. These statistics do not jibe with Ms. Warner's socialist philosophy, which states that every family should have access to nannies and day care -- at the taxpayer's expense -- so working mothers can stop feeling guilty and stay at home mothers can "get a life," she says. I think people are buying Ms. Warner's book because they think she's onto something, and to some degree she is: parenting today IS fraught with anxiety. But the reason for this is not because society expects mothers to produce perfect children, as Ms. Warner claims. The desire for perfection is a self-inflicted wound. If you really want to know what's wrong with motherhood today, read 7 Myths of Working Mothers. Now there's a book with an honest analysis - and suggestions to boot!
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